Undeveloped to willfully non-developed women: Female stereotypes in Saul Bellow's novels (1944--1975).

摘要

This thesis examines Saul Bellow's novels published from 1944 to 1975, with a main focus on his stereotypical female characters. It argues that those female characters who have been dismissed as stereotypical should be re-evaluated as being willfully non-developed toward furthering the author's project. By examining the novels in roughly reverse chronological order, this examination reveals the development of the female characters from undeveloped in the earlier works to willfully non-developed. When and how those characters gain importance is also determined. Their central function in indicating the implicit themes of each work is discussed in relation to their effect on the overall atmosphere of each novel.